Midnight Cowboy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John Schlesinger
Produced by	Jerome Hellman
Written by	James Leo Herlihy Waldo Salt
Starring	Dustin Hoffman Jon Voight
Music by	John Barry
Cinematography	Adam Holender
Editing by	Hugh A. Robertson
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	May 25, 1969
Running time	113 min. John Richard Schlesinger, CBE ( February 16, 1926 &ndash July 25, 2003) was an Academy Award -winning English Jerome Hellman (born September 4 1928 in New York City is an American Film producer. James Leo Herlihy ( 27 February 1927 – 21 October 1993) was an American Novelist, Playwright, and Actor Waldo Pressman Salt ( October 18, 1914 &ndash March 7, 1987) was an American Screenwriter who was blacklisted Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8 1937 His brother Ronald is a lawyer and economist Jonathan Vincent Voight (born December 29 1938 is an Academy Award -winning American film Actor. John Barry, OBE (born John Barry Prendergast on 3 November 1933 in York, England) is a renowned Golden Globe and five-time Academy Hugh A Robertson ( May 28, 1932 - January 10, 1988) was an African-American Film director and editor. This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. The year 1969 in film involved some significant events Events Cannes Film Festival opens but closes in support
Country
Language	English Italian
Budget	$3. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. 6 million
Gross revenue	$44,785,053
Official website
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. The year 1969 in film involved some significant events Events Cannes Film Festival opens but closes in support A drama film is a Film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes The year 1965 in literature involved some significant events and new books For the 1969 film adaptation of this novel see Midnight Cowboy. James Leo Herlihy ( 27 February 1927 – 21 October 1993) was an American Novelist, Playwright, and Actor It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and then-newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Waldo Pressman Salt ( October 18, 1914 &ndash March 7, 1987) was an American Screenwriter who was blacklisted John Richard Schlesinger, CBE ( February 16, 1926 &ndash July 25, 2003) was an Academy Award -winning English Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8 1937 His brother Ronald is a lawyer and economist Jonathan Vincent Voight (born December 29 1938 is an Academy Award -winning American film Actor. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John McGiver, Brenda Vaccaro, and Barnard Hughes. Sylvia Miles (born September 9, 1932) is a two-time Academy Award -nominated American actress John Irwin McGiver ( November 5, 1913, New York City – September 9, 1975, West Fulton New York) was an American Brenda Buell Vaccaro (born November 18 1939) is an Academy Award - and Tony Award-nominated as well as Emmy - and Golden Bernard Aloysius Kiernan “Barnard” Hughes ( July 16, 1915 – July 11, 2006) was an American Actor of theater The film won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film.

Plot

The film follows the story of a young Texan named Joe Buck (Jon Voight), who works washing dishes in a diner. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. Jonathan Vincent Voight (born December 29 1938 is an Academy Award -winning American film Actor. He wishes to leave the restaurant, declaring to a workmate, "What the hell have I got to sit around here for?" As the movie opens, Joe dresses himself like a rodeo cowboy, packs a suitcase, and quits his job. Rodeo (ˈroʊdioʊ or /roʊˈdeɪoʊ/ is a sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States A cowboy is an animal Herder who tends Cattle on Ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback and often performs a multitude of He heads to New York City in the hope of leading the life of a "kept" man. The City of New York A gigolo, hustler or male prostitute is a male who engages in the sale of their sexual services by Prostitution. He tells people he meets, "I ain't a for-real cowboy, but I am one hell of a stud!"

Joe's naiveté becomes evident as quickly as his cash disappears upon his arrival in New York. He is hilariously, yet sadly, unsuccessful in his attempts to be hired as a "stud" for wealthy women. The naive Joe meets the crippled Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman), a third-rate con man who easily tricks Joe out of twenty dollars by offering to introduce him to a well-known pimp, who instead turns out to be a religious fanatic. Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8 1937 His brother Ronald is a lawyer and economist A confidence trick or confidence game (also known as a bunko, con, flim flam, gaffle, grift, scam, scheme A pimp (also called fleshmonger) finds and manages clients for Prostitutes and engages them in Prostitution (in Brothels in most cases and Joe flees the scene in pursuit of Ratso, but he is long gone. As Joe's money quickly runs out, he finally attempts to make money by sleeping with another man, but even this plan goes awry. (The novel does refer to previous homosexual activity by Joe, but explains that he'd pursued it more in hopes to please a male friend than out of desire. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. )

Joe then spots an unsuspecting Rizzo at a diner. Joe has been homeless after being locked out of his hotel room for failure to pay the bill. He has been sleeping in all-night movie theaters and bus stations. Joe angrily shakes Ratso down for every penny he has, but Ratso surprisingly offers to help Joe, by sharing his "place"; an apartment in a condemned building. Joe reluctantly accepts the offer, and they begin a "business" relationship, helping each other pickpocket, steal and further attempt to get Joe hired as a "stud". This article is about the crime For the Robert Bresson film see Pickpocket (film.

The events of Joe's life are told in mostly chronological order, interspersed by flashbacks. In history film television and other media a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current He had been to church and baptized as a boy, but had only frightening memories of the experience, and he related religion with disappointment. In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted The only two people Joe loved were his grandmother Sally, and his onetime girlfriend "Crazy Annie" (called "Chalkline Annie" in the novel). His grandmother raised Joe after his mother abandoned him, but often left him alone to go off with boyfriends. (One of them, a wrangler named Woodsy Niles, was Joe's only father figure. See also Animal training In North America a wrangler is someone employed to handle Animals professionally especially horses, but also other ) Sally died while Joe was away serving in the Army. Annie had been a promiscuous girl, who changed her ways after meeting Joe. Promiscuity refers to sexual behavior of a man or woman who casually has sex with many partners This didn't sit well with the men of their hometown. After the two were caught together having sex in a car, the mob rapes both Annie and Joe Buck; later Annie was sent to a mental institution. She remains a constant presence in Joe's mind.

Ratso's story comes mostly through things he tells Joe. His father was an illiterate shoeshiner who worked in a subway station, developed a bad back, and "coughed his lungs out breathin' in that wax every day!" Ratso learned shining from his father, but refused to follow (such as he could, after polio crippled one leg) in the old man's footsteps. traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen, Shoeshiner is a profession in which a person polishes Shoes with Shoe polish. Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral Infectious disease spread from person to person primarily via

Joe and Ratso also steal things as they need them, and pull minor scams like loading up on saltine crackers and ketchup at diners, and checking every coin slot they see for change. A saltine or soda cracker is a thin usually square cracker made from white Flour, Shortening, Yeast, and Baking soda They are both completely alone without each other, and a genuine bond develops between the two men. Ratso had a cough when the two first met during the summer, and as the story progresses, his health steadily worsens. His symptoms indicate a likely case of tuberculosis, but Ratso refuses to see a doctor, professing he'll be fine "when I get to Florida!" In the meantime he consumes cough medicines. Tuberculosis (abbreviated as TB for tubercle bacillus or T u' b' erculosis Bacillus --> is a common Florida ( is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the A cough medicine is a medicinal drug used to treat Coughing and related conditions

Joe and Enrico

At one point, a bizarre-looking couple approach Joe and Ratso in a diner and hand Joe a flyer inviting him to a party. The two men go together and enter into a Warhol-esque party scene (with some of the Warhol superstars in cameo appearances). The Factory was Andy Warhol 's original New York City studio from 1962 to 1968, although his later studios were known as The Factory as well Ultra Violet by David Shankbonejpg|thumb| Ultra Violet (Isabelle Collin Dufresne]]The Warhol Superstars were a Clique of New York City personalities promoted A cameo role or cameo appearance (often shortened to just cameo) is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the Performing arts, such as The naive Joe smokes an entire marijuana joint thinking it was a cigarette, then takes a pill offered to him and begins to hallucinate. Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a He leaves the party with a socialite (Vaccaro), who agrees to pay him $20 for one night with him. A socialite is a person who is known to be a part of fashionable Society because of his or her regular participation in social activities and fondness for spending a significant Ratso falls down a flight of stairs, but insists he is fine, and makes his own way home.

Joe and the socialite attempt sex, but he suffers from temporary impotence. After sleeping, they play a puzzle game together. She suggests that Joe may be gay, then continues to mildly tease him. Joe is suddenly able to perform, and the two have rough, enthusiastic sex.

When Joe returns home later, Ratso is in bed, sweating and feverish, and admits to Joe that he is unable to walk. Joe wants to take Ratso to a doctor, but Ratso adamantly refuses, saying he does not want to end up in Bellevue Hospital or someplace worse. Bellevue Hospital Center, founded in 1736 is the oldest Public hospital in the United States He wants to leave New York for Miami; this has been his goal the whole time. Ratso is clearly gravely ill. A frightened Joe is determined to take care of his friend, and leaves the apartment.

Joe picks up an older male customer (Barnard Hughes), who tries to send him away at the last minute out of guilt. Bernard Aloysius Kiernan “Barnard” Hughes ( July 16, 1915 – July 11, 2006) was an American Actor of theater Joe is enraged when the customer gives him a religious medallion, instead of cash when Joe says he needs it. He beats and robs the man, stuffing the telephone into his mouth when he tries to call for help. (It's unclear whether the man dies as a result of Joe's attack; in the next sequence, on the bus to Florida, Ratso asks Joe, "You didn't kill him, did you?" to which Joe replies, "I don't want to talk about it. ")

With the money, Joe buys two bus tickets to Florida. Ratso's physical condition is clearly serious, and the point is driven home by a bus scene in which Ratso awakens to find he has urinated on himself. When he tells Joe, Joe makes a joke by saying, "You just took a little rest stop that wasn't on the schedule!" They laugh together, but their powerful denial is now evident Joe stops to buy new clothing for Ratso and himself on the way. Joe throws away his cowboy outfit, and declares "I ain't no kinda hustler. " As they reach Florida and near Miami, Joe talks about plans to get a regular job, only to ultimately realize that Ratso has died sitting beside him.

After Joe informs the bus driver, the driver tells him that there is nothing else to do, but leave him there until they arrive in Miami. The final scene is of a horrified Joe seated beside his dead friend, placing his arm around him, with several of the other passengers standing up and turning around in their seats to stare.

Cast

• Dustin Hoffman as Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo
• Jon Voight as Joe Buck
• Sylvia Miles as Cass
• John McGiver as Mr. Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8 1937 His brother Ronald is a lawyer and economist Jonathan Vincent Voight (born December 29 1938 is an Academy Award -winning American film Actor. Sylvia Miles (born September 9, 1932) is a two-time Academy Award -nominated American actress John Irwin McGiver ( November 5, 1913, New York City – September 9, 1975, West Fulton New York) was an American O'Daniel
• Brenda Vaccaro as Shirley
• Barnard Hughes as Towny

Production

The opening scenes were filmed in Big Spring, Texas. Brenda Buell Vaccaro (born November 18 1939) is an Academy Award - and Tony Award-nominated as well as Emmy - and Golden Bernard Aloysius Kiernan “Barnard” Hughes ( July 16, 1915 – July 11, 2006) was an American Actor of theater Big Spring is a town in the US state of Texas at the crossroads of U

The line "I'm walkin' here!", which reached #27 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes, is often said to have been improvised, but producer Jerome Hellman disputes this account on the 2-disc DVD set of Midnight Cowboy. Part of the AFI 100 Years series, AFI's 100 Years 100 Movie Quotes is a list of the top 100 movie quotations in American cinema The cab was driven by a hired actor during a scripted take, and production team filmed it to look like an ad-lib. However, Hoffman told it differently on an installment of Bravo's Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo is a Cable television network owned by NBC Universal. It is currently seen in more than 80 million homes and was the first service dedicated to film drama Inside the Actors Studio is the Emmy-nominated longest-running original series on the Bravo Cable television channel hosted by James Lipton He stated that there were many takes to hit that traffic light just right so they didn't have to pause while walking. That take, the timing was perfect and the cab came out of nowhere and nearly hit them. Hoffman wanted to say "We're filming a movie here!" But from brain to mouth, it came out in the now famous line.

Before Dustin Hoffman auditioned for this film, he knew that his all-American image could easily cost him the job. To prove he could do it, he asked the auditioning film executive to meet him on a street corner in Manhattan, and in the meantime, dressed himself in filthy rags. The executive arrived at the appointed corner and waited, barely noticing the "beggar" less than ten feet away who was accosting people for spare change. At last, the beggar walked up to him and revealed his true identity.

Schlesinger chose the song "Everybody's Talkin'" (written by Fred Neil and performed by Harry Nilsson) as its theme, and the song reappears throughout the movie. Harry Edward Nilsson III ( June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994) was an American Songwriter, singer Pianist, and (Other songs considered for the movie included Nilsson's own "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City", Randy Newman's "Cowboy", and reportedly Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay". Randall Stuart “Randy” Newman (born November 28 1943 is an Academy Award –winning American Singer/songwriter, arranger, Composer Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major " Lay Lady Lay " is a Song written by Bob Dylan and originally released in 1969 on his Nashville Skyline album ) The song "He Quit Me" was also on the soundtrack; it was written by Warren Zevon, who also included it (as "She Quit Me") on his debut album Wanted Dead or Alive. Warren William Zevon (January 24 1947 &ndash September 7 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American rock Singer-songwriter and Musician Wanted Dead or Alive is the first album by Singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, released in 1969

Controversy

The sex scenes in this movie were considered shocking in 1969. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. There were only bare breasts and buttocks shown, though there are brief gang rape scenes of both "Crazy Annie" and Joe. The breast is the upper Ventral region of an animal’s Torso, particularly that of Mammals including Human beings. The buttocks (singular buttock) are rounded portions of the anatomy located on the posterior of the Pelvic region of the Apes including Humans While the MPAA was prepared to give the film an R rating upon their initial viewing, the co-chairman of United Artists, Arthur Krim, insisted upon self-applying an X rating on the advice of psychiatrist Aaron Stern, later to become an official MPAA ratings board consultant. The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U This article is about the film studio Previously it was affiliated with a cinema chain bearing its name now owned by Regal Entertainment Group. Arthur B Krim ( April 4, 1910 &ndash September 21, 1994) was an entertainment lawyer the former finance chairman for the United States A psychiatrist (also archaically called an alienist) is a Physician who specializes in Psychiatry and is certified in treating Mental disorders It soon became the first X-rated film to win an Academy Award. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. At the time, X ratings had not yet become associated with the pornography industry.

Late in 1970 United Artists had the film re-submitted to the ratings board in order to change the rating to R, increasing the number of screens it could play on in re-release, since many theaters would not play X-rated films, and many newspapers would not accept advertising for them. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Some modern critics assume an unstated homosexual relationship between the main characters, and at the 78th Academy Awards, host Jon Stewart joked about Brokeback Mountain being an Oscar contender despite its subject matter, saying "It's been more than 35 years when people would watch Midnight Cowboy and say 'What the hell was that all about?' Well, now we have fully accepted this new genre of cinema: gay westerns!"

Awards

The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay; it is the only X-rated film to win an Oscar in any category. The 78th Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 2005, were held on March 5 2006 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood California Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz; November 28 1962 is an American Comedian, Satirist, Actor, Writer, and Brokeback Mountain ( 2005) is a romantic - Drama film that depicts the complex romantic and sexual relationship between two men in the "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working The Academy Award for Achievement in Directing (Best Director is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to The Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay is one of the Academy Awards, the most prominent Film awards in the United States (Coincidentally, the previous year had seen the sole G-rated Best Picture winner, Oliver!) Both Hoffman and Voight were nominated for Best Actor awards and Sylvia Miles was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, in what is the shortest nominated performance ever recognized (clocking in under four minutes of screen-time). The Motion Picture Association of America's film-rating system is used in the U Oliver! is a 1968 Musical film directed by Carol Reed. The film is based on the Stage musical Oliver!, with Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to recognize Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS

The film won six BAFTA Awards. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation

John Barry, who supervised the music for the film, won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Theme. John Barry, OBE (born John Barry Prendergast on 3 November 1933 in York, England) is a renowned Golden Globe and five-time Academy The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition has been awarded since 1960 "Everybody's Talkin'" also won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, for Harry Nilsson. The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance has been awarded since 1966. Harry Edward Nilsson III ( June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994) was an American Songwriter, singer Pianist, and

In 1994, this film was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress The National Film Registry is the registry of Films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of

Legacy

For Hoffman, the role enabled him to avoid any typecasting due to his previous role in The Graduate and started his career as an actor of considerable dramatic range. For other meanings see Typecasting. Typecasting is the process by which a film TV or stage Actor is strongly identified with a specific The Graduate is a American comedy / drama / Romance film directed by Mike Nichols, based on the novel of the same name by Voight went on to have a long, respectable acting career himself, with roles in Catch-22, Deliverance, Conrack, The Champ, Coming Home and other movies. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Deliverance is a 1972 Warner Bros motion picture drama directed by John Boorman. The Champ is a 1979 remake of the 1931 Academy Award -winning film of the same name. Coming Home is a 1978 Drama film which tells the story of an injured Vietnam War veteran's difficulty in re-entering civilian life

The final scene with Joe's arms around Rizzo was parodied in the 1994 Seinfeld episode "The Mom & Pop Store": Jerry was the Joe Buck character comforting Kramer, who had a bloody nose. Seinfeld is an American Situation comedy, or sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5 1989 to May 14 1998 lasting nine seasons "The Mom & Pop Store" is the 94th episode of the NBC Sitcom Seinfeld. The theme song "Everybody's Talkin'" was played during this scene, and George at an earlier point sings it, improvising the line, "Just drivin' around in Jon Voight's car. "

The movie Forrest Gump parodies the famous "I'm walking here!" line when Gump pushes Lieutenant Dan's wheelchair across a crowded Manhattan street. Forrest Gump is a 1994 Comedy film based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and the name of the title character

An episode of American Dad! titled "Irregarding Steve" parodies the movie, with Roger the alien as the Rizzo character developing a steadily worsening cough after arriving in New York and Steve eventually donning a cowboy outfit similar to Joe's. American Dad! is a satirical American animated series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century " Irregarding Steve " is the eighth episode of the second season of the FOX Animated series American Dad!. The episode parodies several important scenes from Midnight Cowboy, including the final scene bus ride.

The 2006 film Apocalypto features a scene where sacrificial captives are being taken to the great Mayan city by a band of warriors. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. A group of lumberjacks cuts down a tree, nearly crushing the captives. The leader of the warriors, Zero Wolf, yells out, "I am walking here!"

The movie "Back to the Future 2" has the Micheal J. Back to the Future Part II is a 1989 film and a Sequel to the 1985 film Back to the Future. Fox (playing his future son) coming out of the diner and almost being hit by a car, yelling "I'm walking here!" at the vehicle as it speeds away.

External links

• Official site
• Midnight Cowboy at the Internet Movie Database
• Midnight Cowboy at Allmovie
• Midnight Cowboy at Filmsite.org
• Interview with Jennifer Salt ("Crazy Annie")